Selecting mechanism



Junie 1, 1954 E. ST. PIERRE 2, 79,737

SELECTING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 28,1952

' [/VVE/V rm.-

Patented June 1, 1954 SELECTING MECHANISM Eugene St. Pierre, Pawtucket, R. I., assignor to Hemphill Company, Pawtucket, R. 1., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 28, 1952, Serial No. 322,915

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in needle selecting mechanisms for circular, independent needle, knitting machines by which any desired number of needles may be positioned above the others so that yarn may be fed to them to the exclusion of all other needles, as in wrapping, tucking, or any other desired operation. A well known form of needle selecting mechanism consists of a bank of blades, one above the other, each blade being adapted to be moved into close enough proximity to the cylinder to engage projecting butts of jacks, and a master cam whereby the jacks beneath selected needles and, consequently, the needles themselves are raised to the desired height above the others. Such an arrangement is characteristic of Banner Wrap machines, for example.

For other purposes, such as color-within--color work, it has been the practice to equip the machine with two such selecting units spaced apart around the cylinder whereby certain selected needles can be raised to a greater height than other selected needles. Such a double selection is required for various other combinations such as wrap and mesh work but, in many machines, it is difficult, if not impossible, to find the space to apply two selecting units. This difiiculty is overcome by the present invention in which a selecting unit occupying substantially the same space around the cylinder as an ordinary single selecting unit can provide the two heights of needle selection described above.

One form of the device as applied to a Banner Wrap-Reverse machine is shown in the drawing, of which I Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of jack and needle cams, the selecting blades and master cams of the selecting unit and a jack suitable for use therewith; and

Figs. 2 and 3 are larger views of these selecting blades.

As shown in Fig. 1, the machine is provided with a bank of selecting blades I of which eight are shown and above it and spaced from it by the cam plate 2, another bank of'selecting blades 3, six in number in this instance, a master cam 4 and, above it, a longer master cam 5. Each selecting blade of bank I is movable inwardly so as to be engageable with a corresponding butt 6 of jack I and each blade of bank 3 is similarly movable inwardly so as to be engageable with a corresponding butt 8 of jack 1.

The manner in which selecting blades such as those of banks I and 3 are operated and the means by which they are operated are indicated in the drawing but are too well known to require description. Although it is also well known, it is mentioned here that jacks I may be positioned in the cylinder only below the needles which are to be selected or beneath every needle or any desired needles in which case any butt 6 or 8 which might interfere with the desired operation of the machine will be broken out.

As shown in Fig. 1, any blade of bank I such as 9 will raise a jack 1 by operating upon its corresponding butt I0 to a height which, upon further revolution of the cylinder, will cause master butt II of the jack to pass up master cam 5. In consequence, the needle above the jack will be raised to a height determined by the top of master cam 5. The path traveled by the butts of all the needles, as shown at I2, is departed from by the needles thus selected which follow the higher path I3 until they have received the yarn and have been lowered again before the knitting cams are reached.

As shown in Fig. 1, the selecting blades of bank 3 are shorter than those of bank I. Each of these is adapted to operate upon the corresponding butt 8 of jack I to select the jacks which are in turn to select the corresponding needles. Since the blades of bank 3 are shorter than those of bank I, the jacks will. be raised only to a height suflicient to permit master butt II to engage and be raised by master cam 4 to the height determined by the top of this master cam. This, as will be seen, will raise the corresponding needles to a lesser height than those raised through master cam 5 or to a path I4.

Although it is not essential, it is advisable that the blades of banks I and 3 be of the same thickness and spacing and extend at the same angle so that if, through inadvertence, a blade of a bank which should be inoperative is operative, there will be no possibility of a smash occurring through improper engagement of the jack butts with the selecting blades.

The blades of banks I and 3, as shown in Fig. 1, are illustrated in larger size by Figs. 2 and 3, respectively. As will be seen, the operating ends I 5 of the blades of bank I are considerably longer than those I6 of bank 3, in accordance with the diagrammatic showing of Fig. 1. This provides a greater effective length of cam engaging surface for the blades of one group and results in jacks engaged by the longer blades being raised to a different height. The same result can be achieved by arranging the blades of one bank at a different angle than the blades of the other bank.

If desired, the blades of either or both banks may be a composite of both types arranged as desired. On the other hand, both banks of blades may be all of one or the other type, in which case only one height of selection is possibleeither the higher or the lower, depending on the type of blade used--but the number of possible selections is materially increased, say from 8 to 14.

Although the selecting blades are shown in the drawing in two vertically spaced banks i and 3, to accommodate other things such as the edge of the cam plate 2, if the machine permits, they may be staggered or consolidated into a single bank having the desired characteristics and the master cams may be repositioned in accordance with the change in position of the banks of blades. Regardless of whether the banks of blades are spaced as shown or consolidated into a single bank, they may, if desired, be operated from a suitable pattern drum and operating linkage by which the blades may be caused to move in and out in accordance with the selection desired. On the other hand, separate pattern drums can be used if desired. In this way, a compact and extremely flexible means or selecting needles to a single or to two heights is provided.

The form shown in the drawing and described herein is for explanatory purposes only. The invention is not limited thereto but only by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a circular, independent needle, knitting machine, a jackhaving a plurality of butts, a plurality of selector blades, difierent ones of said blades being adapted to engage difierent ones of said selector butts to raise individual ones of said jacks, means for causing said selector butts to engage with said blades, some of said blades being adapted to raise said jacks to a different height than that to which they are raised by others of said blades.

2. The invention according to claim 1 and wherein said blades are all disposed at the same angle with respect to said butts and different blades have difierent lengths of cam engaging surface.

3. In a circular, independent needle, knitting machine having a plurality of jacks, each provided with a master butt and a plurality of selecting butts at difierent levels, a plurality of butt engaging jack selecting members, different ones of said members being adapted to engage different levels of said butts to raise said jacks, some of said members having longer effective butt engaging surfaces than others so as to raise said jacks to a different height than the others, and a plurality of butt engaging cams adapted to engage a master butt on individual ones of said jacks, different cams having butt engaging surfaces at different levels with respect to said master butt.

4. In a jack selector mechanism for a circular, independent needle, knitting machine having jacks with a master butt and a plurality of selecting butts, a plurality of different selector members adapted to engage said selector butts and raise said master butts to different heights, and a plurality of jack raising cams disposed at said heights and adapted to raise said jacks to different levels.

5. In a circular, independent needle, knitting machine a plurality of knitting instrumentalities each having a lurality of selector butts, a plurality of selector blades, different ones of said blades being adapted to engage difierent ones of said selector butts to raise individual ones of said instrumentalities, means for causing said blades to engage said selector butts, some of said blades being adapted to raise said instrumentalities to a different height than that to which they are raised by others of said blades.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,167,390 Lawson July 25, 1939 2,224,473 Clarke et a1. Dec. 10, 1940 2,340,049 Fregeolle Jan. 25, 1944 2,464,126 Fregeolle Mar. 8, 1949 2,565,877 Oberholtzer Aug. 28, 1951 

